Saving the Perfect Soldier
by ShinigamiPhoenix
Summary: Sequel to Saving Shinigami. Someone is stalking Heero. Can the boys figure out who it is and stop them before it's too late? 1x2x5 DISCONTINUED
1. Default Chapter

Notes: This is Duo POV, and takes place three years after Saving Shinigami. The boys are Preventers now, and Endless Waltz never happened, but don't worry about missing things because Duo explains it all in a nice trip down memory lane, so this is more a prologue than an actual chapter.   
  
Warnings: This entire fic will include: yaoi, yuri, het (maybe), blood, creepiness, confusion, angst, OOC, one OC who's not a Mary Sue, I assure you, lime/lemon, cliffhangers, and anything else that the muse decides.   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the G-Boys. I am merely borrowing them for nefarious purposes. I promise to return them more or less in one piece, so please don't sue me. Enjoy and review!  
  
Chapter One  
  
My body was tingling with anticipation. Just a few more minutes, and I would finally get to see them again after three long, torturous weeks. I could see them, touch them, kiss them.... Okay, I needed to stop or I'd never make it through the dinner I had so carefully prepared.  
  
I looked around to make sure things were perfect. I'd actually set up the dinner in the dining room, instead of the kitchen like we normally used for meals. The lights were dimmed until they were almost off, and candles were lit. The window was open slightly, letting in a soft breeze that tickled my skin. The food was all laid out on the table, nothing really fancy, but delicious all the same. There was some quiet classical music playing, loud enough to dispel any silence, but quiet enough for conversation. The mood was quiet and romantic, with a hint of seduction. It was, for all intents and purposes, perfect.  
  
A trilling little meow made me jump and look down to see a black fluffball winding itself around my legs and looking up at me with large golden eyes.  
  
"Dammit, Ed, I thought I told you to stay outside!" I scooped him up, careful not to get fur all over my clothes, and walked to the front door, putting him down on the doorstep and staring into his eyes. "You gotta stay outside for tonight, 'kay? Go visit Coffee, if you want, I'm sure Jeanie will let you sleep on her sofa again. Go on, shoo."  
  
Giving one last meow, Edgar turned around and trotted out of the garden, vanishing into the night. It would take him a while to reach Coffee's house, it was nearly a mile away, but he'd be given food and water and a spot to sleep on by the other cat's owner, and I didn't want my pesky little cat ruining the mood.  
  
Tonight was special, not just because Fei and Heero were coming home, but because it marked the two year anniversary of our release from The Evil Place, otherwise known as the Everett Psychiatric Hospital.   
  
See, not everyone had liked us Gundam pilots back at the end of the war. We'd done a lot of bad shit and pissed off a lot of people, and no one had quite been sure what to do with us. So, they'd shoved us in a nut house to undergo evaluations to determine our mental health. I know, crazy, isn't it? I couldn't believe they expected any of us to be entirely sane.   
  
So, we spent a couple of months walking around in our pyjamas and talking to shrinks. They took all our weapons away, so we were deemed relatively harmless. That meant that there was only one guard in the room with us and the shrink. But, anyway, back to the point. We lied through our teeth, jumping through all the hoops and leaping over all the hurdles, and eventually they announced that we were sane. Joy.   
  
But then it was back to square one, and the big question of what to do next. Quatre just went off to sort out the mess his father's death had caused with WEI. He immersed himself in his work and seemed to cope okay. Trowa took a little vacation working at the circus for a couple of weeks before leaving to watch over his lover.   
  
That just left me, Fei, and Heero. We didn't have any idea what we were supposed to do, for the first time in our lives we could do whatever we wanted. We had been thrust into the big bad peaceful world, and not been told how to survive in it.   
  
The first thing we did was buy a house, way out in the middle of nowhere, a quiet place where we could be ourselves and not have to worry. We spent a couple of days in bed, talking and discussing every option we had. The decision was unanimous. None of us were quite ready to stop fighting yet.   
  
It's funny, isn't it? I used to be so scared of who I was, I used to hate being a Gundam pilot, but when the time came to finally quit... I couldn't. I'd gotten so used to fighting, to protecting people, that I just couldn't stop.   
  
So, we drove down to Preventers and talked with Une. She was thrilled to have three ex-Gundam pilots on her force, but not so thrilled with the idea of Heero and Fei working as a team. It was apparently against policy for significant others to work together. After a week of working with different partners, Une got her bosses to agree that no one was up to working with them. I was partnered with one Agent Alex Carter, a nice girl and competent Agent. I dialled down my abilities and we got along fine.   
  
It hasn't been easy, we've had to learn the hard way how to live in peace, there have been many mistakes and many 'incidents' but after two years, we were finally starting to get with the program. Aren't you proud of us?  
  
I was snapped out of my musings by the sound of the door opening. I smiled and walked out of the dining room to meet them. They looked weary, but relieved, the way they always looked when they came home from a long assignment. Fei's hair was escaping its tight ponytail, and Heero's tie was half undone. Their clothes were wrinkled and in Wufei's case, not buttoned up properly, but they looked gorgeous.   
  
My smile widened and I kissed them both quickly on the lips before pulling them into a tight hug.  
  
"Missed you," I whispered, and it was enough. They were both suddenly attacking me, pulling at the clothes I had carefully chosen. They nipped, licked and bit their way across my skin, and for a while, I let them, letting their hunger wash over me, I had missed them so damn much.... But then I remembered dinner and reluctantly pushed them away, tugging my clothing back into place.  
  
"I spent bloody ages on dinner, we are not skipping it."  
  
They smiled and followed me into the dining room, sitting down quietly and looking at the food.  
  
"This looks great, Duo," Heero said, and I smirked smugly. He'd always been less than complimentary on my past attempts at cooking, insisting that one of these days I was going to give him food poisoning. But I'd followed the recipe precisely and talked to Quatre on the phone during the hard bits, just in case I went wrong.  
  
"Where's that blasted fluffball you call a cat?" Wufei asked, cutting into his chicken, and I let the supposed insult to my cat slide. Wufei liked Eddie, though for some reason insisted on pretending he didn't.   
  
"I kicked him out for the night, it's just us three. How was the mission?"  
  
Heero snorted and said, "Boring. Simple surveillance, and then a routine round up. Why Une put two of her best Agents on it, I don't know. A rookie could have done it."  
  
"You're just upset because you were away from me for three weeks and didn't even get an adrenaline rush out of it," I said archly, and he shrugged, not denying the accusation.  
  
They asked me about the murder case I had been working on, and I said we'd arrested a guy two days ago before firmly telling them that there was to be no talk of work. So they just told me about this movie they'd seen while off-duty, and I said I wanted to see it, so we made plans to do just that on Saturday.  
  
We talked about the little, unimportant things that everyone talks about during dinner, filling the silence without really having a conversation. Later, I'd barely be able to remember what we said. But I would remember how they looked, with the soft candlelight playing across their skin and being reflected in their eyes. I'd remember the way their fingers would brush against my hand when they reached for their glasses. I'd remember the sound of the voices as they laughed at a joke. I'd remember the important things. 


	2. Chapter Two

Notes: For those who are curious about how Edgar got his name, this is his story: Edgar was nameless for nine days, Duo couldn't figure out what to call him, he wanted the name to be perfect. And then on the evening of the ninth day, Nameless cornered a raven in their garden, though it had a broken wing so I guess it wasn't much of a victory. Anyway, after taking the raven to the vet, Duo named Nameless Edgar, after Edgar Allen Poe, author of The Raven. And if you read the Duo and Wufei sidefic to Saving Shinigami, you'd know that it was Duo's favourite story. So, there it is, the meaning behind the name. Enjoy and review!  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Alex was having trouble with her boyfriend again. I knew this because she was slumped over her desk, drinking coffee and staring at the picture of him on her desk. I knew from experience not to talk to her or she'd rant for hours, so I just sat down at my own desk and booted up my computer.  
  
I sorted through the emails waiting for me, replying when necessary, and then looked at my reminders for the day. I had an appointment with Une just before lunch, something about the trainees, and an interview with a witness for the case I was currently working on, the gruesome rape/murder of a politician's daughter, but other than that it was business as usual.   
  
"How're the lover boys?" Alex asked in a grumble, and I grinned at her. Like everyone else at Preventers (with the exception of Une, Sally, Noin and Zechs), she wasn't quite sure of the situation between me and the boys. Everyone knew that Fei and Heero were together, though my two lovers certainly never showed any overt signs of romance while at work. Everyone also knew that I was taken, and that I lived with them, but I never mentioned a person, and the only photos on my desk were of Heero and Fei, plus one photo of all us Gundam pilots. So rumours flew about just who was involved with who, and many of the women seemed determined to actually believe the truth. Go figure.   
  
"Heero and Wufei are fine, a bit tired, but they got plenty of sleep last night." A half-truth at best. They did get some sleep, not quite five hours but more than enough for getting through the day, as long as coffee was consumed.  
  
"Really? Good. Great. You must be thrilled."  
  
"Don't sound so enthusiastic," I said under my breath, rolling my eyes and grinning. She glanced at me and sighed.  
  
"Sorry, Brian is just... being a wanker."  
  
"When isn't he?"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
I held up my hands in a surrender gesture and said, "I won't saying anything. If you insist on dating that loser, it's not my business. Let's just work, okay?"  
  
She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "Okay. You got a meeting with that woman, wasshername, Sarah, today, right?"  
  
"Mm-hm, one thirty, I just want to go over her statement and ask a few questions. She left a couple of holes."  
  
"I'm going to go bug Phillip in forensics for an update, and then head over to the police station to chat with Officer Stevens."  
  
"Great. Why don't you-"  
  
A knock on the door interrupted me and I turned to see Wufei standing in the doorway, looking a bit hesitant. I frowned, and gestured for him to come in.   
  
"What's up, Wufei?"  
  
"Heero wanted me to tell you that he's going home."  
  
I blinked, and then asked in a very careful tone, "Why?"  
  
Wufei sighed, he knew he was busted and in trouble. "He caught some sort of bug during our assignment. He was throwing up all the way home. He took some pills and seemed to be over it, so we didn't want to worry you, but he just threw up all over the floor, and he's got a fever, so Dr. Andrews sent him home with some medication and orders to rest."  
  
My first instinct was to snap at him for not telling me about this last night, but I wrestled with the urge, taking deep, even breaths. Heero was sick. That was not a big deal. He would get over it. I did not need to get all shirty with Fei even if he had been a secretive bastard and kept something from me even though he knows I don't like secrets and I really need to stop this sentence.   
  
"I take it you're going home with him," I said after a moment, glad that my voice was steady and calm, if a bit cold.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Andrews doesn't want him getting out of bed, so I'm his maid." The joke was lame and feeble, I didn't bother to chuckle.  
  
"Then you'd better get going."  
  
"Duo-"  
  
"Get out of here, 'Fei."  
  
He sighed and left. I stared at the empty doorway for a moment before turning away, looking at my computer screen. I could feel Alex looking at me, silently asking questions, but ignored her.   
  
I wasn't pissed that Heero had gotten sick. Really I wasn't. I was just pissed that they had kept it from me. Oh, I know they'd meant well, they hadn't wanted to ruin the mood and what was the point in mentioning something they thought had been solved? I don't like secrets. At all. They tend to lead to bad things.   
  
But as secrets go this wasn't a really huge one, so I wasn't really flaming wicked pissed just... extremely annoyed. I'd probably get over it by the time I got home. And if I didn't, they'd understand. They always do.  
  
==  
  
My meeting with Une turned out to be about her wanting me to give a demonstration on street fighting technique to the trainees. Apparently she'd been thinking about the few times in the past she'd seen me in hand-to-hand combat, and also when I sparred with Heero in the gym, and thought that it might be useful for the newbies to learn.   
  
I had to explain that street fighting wasn't really something you could teach, it was all gut instinct and split-second reaction. It was about wanting to kill the other guy quickly and easily, not about wounding him or incapacitating him. She looked disappointed when I explained that a lot of the good moves were killing blows, and that the only reason I used them with Heero was because he knew the same moves, and knew how to block.   
  
"It's a shame," she sighed, closing a file and pushing it out of her way.   
  
"Yes, ma'am. Am I dismissed?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed and got that steely glint that I remembered from the war, though not quite so severe. "Alright, Duo, what's going on?"  
  
I blinked. "Ma'am?"  
  
"First off, you haven't made a single joke, or flashed a single grin. You haven't asked about my non-existent love life. You haven't called me a single ridiculous nickname. You haven't tried to tell me about your latest... activities with Heero and Wufei. What's wrong?"   
  
I sighed and slumped down in my chair, flicking my bangs out of my eyes. "Heero went home sick, as you know, and on top of the fact that he didn't tell me he was sick in the first place, I'm not there to help him."  
  
"He doesn't need your help, he's got Wufei."  
  
I knew that, I did, but... I couldn't help wanting to be there for him. He's done so much for me, he helped me through my darkest days and never asked anything in return, and now he was sick and I wasn't there. It grated on me, in a very serious way.  
  
"Do you want to go home?" Une asked, and I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head.  
  
"No. I'm being stupid and I've got a job to do. Heero will be fine, and if there's an emergency Fei will call me. Can I go?"  
  
"Sure."   
  
I attempted a smile, failed miserably, and left. My stomach growled, reminding me that all I'd had today was a slice of toast, and I made my way to the cafeteria. The queue was long and gave me plenty of time to brood, I mean think, about Heero and Wufei.   
  
Heero was so strong, in every sense of the word, that sometimes I forgot that he was human like the rest of us. It has been months since he last got wounded on a mission, and I can't remember the last time he got so much as the sniffles. It was kinda scary being reminded that he was a mere mortal.   
  
I had depended on his strength for so long, relied on him supporting me, and even though I didn't need that any more... I still wanted it. I still wanted for him to take care of me and own me. I wanted to belong to him. And Wufei, can't forget him.   
  
The point I'm trying to make is... hell, I don't know. I'm just rambling. I'm told I'm very good at that.   
  
"You're brooding," a voice announced. I looked up from the food I was prodding and smiled weakly as Noin sat down.  
  
"Heero went home sick, and I'm thinking not brooding."  
  
"You're brooding and you know it. Is it anything serious?"  
  
"Nah, he's got medication and orders for bed rest. Fei's taking care of him." I prodded at my mashed potatoes and drew patterns in them with my fork. Noin didn't say anything, she was smart that way, and we ate in silence. Well, she ate, I mostly just pushed my food around my plate.   
  
Heero would complain if I didn't eat lunch, he's really obsessive about my eating habits, and he'd make sure I got a really healthy, nutritious dinner. It would have pissed me off if it was anyone else, but with Heero, it just made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Guess it must be love. 


	3. Chapter Three

Notes: Everyone say hello to the plot! Well, the beginnings of the plot, this fic is going to start slow and then I'll hit you with a metaphorical sledgehammer, 'cause I'm nice like that. Enjoy and review!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Unsurprisingly, the first thing I heard when I stepped in the door was shouting. Eddie wound himself around my legs, looking up at me with concerned eyes, he's never liked shouting and loud noises.   
  
I sighed and drapped my coat over the back of the sofa, walking up the stairs to the bedroom.  
  
"Dammit, Fei, all I want to do is go downstairs!"  
  
"Do not make me restrain you, Yuy! You are not leaving the bed!"  
  
"I'm not a fucking invalid!"  
  
"Calm the fuck down!"  
  
The scene in the bedroom was very... interesting. Wufei and Heero were both on the bed, grappling. Heero's foot was sticking up in the air, and one of Wufei's elbows was very close to Heero's groin. They were both muttering and growling, their muscles straining with effort, and I smiled.  
  
"Heero, stop being an ass and relax," I said, walking over to push on Heero's shoulders. He reluctantly laid back down, and Fei got off him, tugging the tie out of his hair as half of it had escaped the ponytail during the struggle.  
  
"You have got to be the worst patient ever," he grumbled, straightening his shirt. Heero looked at him and glared, tugging the quilt over his body.  
  
"I am NOT sick."  
  
He looked like a petulant child, very nearly pouting at us and with the quilt pulled all the way up to his chin. I didn't tell him that, he would not appreciate it, so instead I just asked if he was hungry.  
  
"No."  
  
I sighed and turned to leave. "This should be fun," I muttered under my breath, heaving a sigh.   
  
A quiet, inquisitive mewling sound caught my attention, and I redirected myself towards the sound. It was Eddie, of course, and he was cautiously pawing at a plain white envelope lying on the floor by the front door. On it was written 'Heero' in perfect block capitals.   
  
I frowned at the envelope, wondering who it could be from, and then picked it up. My fingers told me it didn't hold paper, but some small, light object, hardly solid. Eddie pressed against my legs, purring loudly.   
  
"I'll feed you in a minute, Ed," I murmured, and then walked back upstairs. They were shouting again, but about a different subject.  
  
"You're ill, Yuy!"  
  
"I'm stuck in bed! At least make it enjoyable for me!"  
  
"Heero!"  
  
Once again, my two lovers were struggling on the bed, but this time Heero seemed to be trying to undress Fei instead of escaping. I cleared my throat and they paused in their struggling to look at him.  
  
"Heero has a letter," I said, holding up the envelope. Wufei grunted and pushed Heero back down onto the bed, rebuttoning his shirt and grumbling about the injustice of a sick man being so strong.  
  
I ignored him and handed the envelope to Heero, who held it gingerly between thumb and forefinger. Past experience had taught us to be wary of unfamiliar mail, as though we weren't suspicious enough.   
  
After deciding that it wasn't ticking or felt heavy enough to be a bomb, he held his breath and opened it. When no dust or powder or small metallic stars coated with poison (don't laugh, it actually happened) burst out, he let out the breath and shook the contents onto his palm.  
  
It was a feather, from what bird I didn't know, but it was white, a pure, pristine white. At least, what I could see of the actual feather was white. Most of it was coated in a dried, dark red substance. I knew what it was from sight, but Heero still scraped a flake off and tasted it, nodding grimly.  
  
"Someone's idea of a joke, I suppose," Wufei said quietly, staring at the bloody feather with sadness etched on his exotic features.   
  
Ever the jokester, I attempted a smile and said, "It's been a while since the last gift, I was starting to feel lonely."  
  
The joke, if you can call on that, fell flat and neither of them acknowledged it. I sighed and took the feather from Heero, picking up the envelope from where it had fallen.  
  
"I'll throw it out, you get rest." I felt his forehead, finding his skin to be hot and sticky, and told Wufei to get a cold wet washcloth.  
  
It wasn't that we thought everyone loved us. We knew that some people didn't appreciate all the shit we'd done to secure everyone's freedom, and that some people wished we hadn't won, but... having these little reminders, these pathetic little gifts from pathetic little people, it was just so depressing.   
  
We had worked so fucking hard, we'd sacrificed anything and everything, and even know we were still fighting for our cause, and yet some people still hated us. That was fine, we weren't looking to have universal adoration, but couldn't they just let us live in the peace we had created? Couldn't they let us try and forget the horrors of our past? Didn't we deserve that?  
  
I dumped the feather and the envelope in the bin under the sink, nudging an empty can of soup to cover it up. Edgar nudged my legs again, and I got a can of cat food out from the cupboard, forking half of it into his bowl and putting the little plastic cat-food-can-lid on the can. He tried to stand up while he ate, but I pushed on his back with my foot and he sat down; he knew that if he wanted food, he sat while he ate it.  
  
I heard a thud from upstairs, then a bang that sounded suspiciously like a door slamming against a wall, followed by the faint sound of retching. Shit.   
  
I ran up the stairs and into the bedroom, and found Heero throwing up into the toilet in the adjoining bathroom. Wufei was leaning over him, a wet washcloth pressed to his forehead and rubbing his back. The sickly sweet smell of vomit hung in the air, and I quickly opened the bedroom window, returning to the bathroom to see Heero slumped on the floor, breathing heavily and leaning against Wufei.  
  
"You baka, will you admit now that you're sick?" Wufei asked tenderly, wiping the sweat from Heero's face with the washcloth. "You're burning up, come on, let's get you back in bed."   
  
Wufei grunted as he helped Heero stand up, mostly carrying him to the bed, and I pulled back the covers for him. Heero was mumbling something under his breath, but I didn't bother to try and listen, it was probably something along the lines of him being weak.  
  
"When did he last take his medication?" I asked Wufei, pulling the covers back over Heero.  
  
"Um, four hours ago, so I suppose he can have another two, it's supposed to be every five hours, but we all know what his immune system is like."  
  
"I hope Doc Andrews gave him some strong shit."  
  
"He gave him the strongest medication he has." Wufei grabbed the bottle of pills from the bedside table and tipped two white pills onto his palm, handing them to Heero with a glass of water. He managed to swallow them, just, but nearly choked on the water.   
  
I glanced at Wufei, not liking how strongly he was reacting to this 'bug' and found that he looked equally concerned. I shrugged and looked down at Heero, who looked completely exhausted. I bent down and kissed his forehead, trailing my fingers down his cheek.  
  
"Try and get some sleep," I said quietly, and walked out with Wufei, leaving the door open so that he could call us if he needed anything. We walked downstairs and I flopped on the sofa, pulling Fei with me so that I could snuggle against him.  
  
"Ya think it was something he ate?" I asked, and he shook his head.  
  
"We pretty much ate the same things, and I haven't been sick at all."  
  
"Hm. Was Doc Andrews sure that this was just some sort of flu or something?"  
  
"He was positive. He said that if the fever didn't break in a couple of days, to come back and see him, but he seemed pretty certain that it was just a bug. He said that because Heero's immune system was so good and he'd never been sick before, it was all hitting him at once, or something like that, like his body was making the antibodies it never had to make before. I don't know, but he said not to worry."  
  
"Easy for him to say."  
  
"Well... not really. I did kind of... have words with him, or at least promise to if he was wrong."  
  
I chuckled and pressed a little closer to him. "You certainly are protective."  
  
"Like you're not?" he replied with a snort. "You nearly made a guy shit himself when he hit on Heero."  
  
"He was being a pervert," I growled, and Wufei wisely shut up about it. Eddie jumped onto my lap and promptly got comfy, purring loudly when Wufei absently scratched the little white spot on his chin. I smiled and let myself relax, my mind drifting away to wherever it wanted to go.   
  
Where it wanted to go was the stupid bloody feather, and I sighed. There had been something oddly personal about that particular gift. Most people just sent newspaper clippings or death threats, maybe pictures of people we'd killed, but that damned feather had been very... intimate, I guess. I didn't like it, not one little bit. 


	4. Chapter Four

Notes: Heh, creep alert, that's all I have to say for this chapter. Oh, and some rather crude talk. Enjoy and review!

Chapter Four  
  
As he was Heero's partner, Wufei got the day off to look after him, which meant I had to spend another long day at work, satisfying myself with calling every half hour to check up on them. All I learned was that Heero could barely stomach dry toast, that he was still feverish and vomiting, and that he was a lousy patient. I knew everything but the first, and it didn't really put me at ease.  
  
I suppose that might be why I reacted like I did in the showers. I'd like to state here and now that it was not my fault, and I'm not sorry I did it 'cause he had it coming and he deserved worse.  
  
I'd just finished a very strenuous workout in the gym and was about to have a shower. Agent Shavers had just finished his own shower, and was currently getting dressed. I did not like Shavers one bit, he was a homophobe and a creep and ex-OZ and we hated each other's guts. You can probably see where this is going.  
  
"Hey, Maxwell, I heard Yuy's got some sort of a bug," he said in that annoying voice he had. I spared him a glare, tugging off my shirt and unbuckling my belt. "I guess that means that he won't be able to fuck you senseless for a while, huh? Bet you're real disappointed about that. But don't forget, you've still got that asshole Chang to keep your libido satisfied. Wonder what you'd do without them, huh? Would you run off to whoever you could find? What about me, huh? Would you suck my dick if I asked you too? Huh?"  
  
I guess Shavers doesn't have too much in the way of self-preservation, because he completely missed all the warning signs of rage. He continued to taunt and irritate me, not knowing that all he was doing was feeding the fire raging inside of me. The dark shadow that was Shinigami was swelling up, filling my body, dropping a haze of red over my vision. I knew nothing but the burning fury inside of me, and the mocking sound of Shavers' voice.   
  
It was one little word that sent me over the edge, four letters snapping my control and making me lunge at him. He had barely finished saying the word before I punched his jaw.   
  
He hadn't been expecting it, he wasn't prepared, and I got past his guard easily, ramming my knee into his stomach and breaking his nose with my fist. I kicked at his knee and felt the bone break, relishing the sharp scream that fell from his lips. I grabbed his wrist and arm, turned so that I had my back to him, and threw him over my shoulder and into the tiled wall. He grunted and crumpled to the ground in a broken heap.  
  
Other Agents had rushed in, alerted by Shavers' screams, but I ignored them as I stared at the creep. I wanted to do more, my body hummed with the need for more violence, more bloodshed, but I repressed the need, shoving Shinigami back in his box and closing the lid. I'd proved my point, I'd done what I had to, I did NOT need to kill the fucking bastard.   
  
The red haze lifted from my eyes, the tension melted from my muscles, and I released a breath, looking around at the other Agents who were either looking at me with awe/shock or at Shavers with sympathy/compassion.   
  
I grabbed my shirt from the bench and pulled it on, walking out of the gym and not commenting on how the Agents quickly got out of my way. I walked very calmly up to the floor my office was on, not caring that I was still sweaty from my workout, and stopped by a soda machine, getting a can of diet Coke and drowning half of it in one gulp.  
  
When I walked into my office, I found Alex on the phone, talking to someone with a very urgent tone to her voice. I'd even go so far as to say she was eager. I sat at my desk and waited for her to finish, using the time to gather my thoughts.  
  
Alex hung up, slamming the phone down, and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She grinned, positively vibrating with excitement.  
  
"Remember that hair we found at the scene? The long blonde one that we knew wasn't the vic's 'cause she had short brown hair? Phillip got a match out of the database. One Gregory Ivers, twenty-six, from L4, jailed five years ago for homicide, he got out two weeks ago on parole. His PO just called saying he left the Colony, and can't be found."  
  
I smiled back at her and said, "Put out an APB, see if we can't catch him. Who'd he kill last time?"  
  
"Some hooker he hired."  
  
"Apparently his tastes have heightened since then. From a whore to a politician's daughter, quite a jump."  
  
"Yeah, why aren't you grinning and making threats to him? And why did you not shower after your workout?"  
  
I sighed and looked away. I could feel her curiosity like a feather brushing against my skin, an almost tangible thing that I could touch. She was one persistent person, was Alex, it made her great at interrogations, but when you wanted to hide something, it could be a bit of a pain.  
  
"Duo, spill, what happened?"  
  
"It was nothing."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"Drop it, Alex!" My voice was a little sharper than I'd intended, but it made her shut up, so I wasn't too annoyed at myself. I bit down another sigh and blew my bangs out of my eyes.   
  
"I just don't want to talk about it," I muttered, and I saw Alex shrug out of the corner of my eye.   
  
"Whatever."   
  
Someone knocked sharply on the door, and I didn't have to look to know who it was, only one person knocked like that. I forced my expression into a polite blankness and turned to look at Commander Une.   
  
"Yes, Ma'am?"  
  
"Maxwell, a word if you please."  
  
"Sure." I stood up and walked out into the hall with her, leaning against the wall and waiting for her to speak.  
  
"I know that Agent Shavers' attitude is not the best," she began in a very resigned tone, "But he is a good Preventer and has a good record. Furthermore, it does not reflect well on this organisation if one of our best Agents starts to beat up his colleagues."  
  
"The bastard deserved worse," I growled before I could stop myself, and she sighed.  
  
"I know he did. Well, actually I don't, he won't tell me what he what he said, just saying that the attack was unprovoked, but I can take a guess and I do thank you for your restraint, but please try to leave him alone from now on?"  
  
"Maybe if he gets sent away..."  
  
Une frowned at me, but then thought about it for a moment before nodding. "The L2 branch needs a few more Agents, I'll send Shavers and his partner."  
  
I just nodded and walked back into my office. There was an email waiting for me, and I clicked on it cautiously. It was from Wufei, and I felt icy fear coil in my stomach. It was irrational, and I knew it, he probably just wanted to tell me something really urbane and mundane, but the fear wouldn't leave me.  
  
_Duo, you need to come home now. We got another 'present' and Heero wants you home where he can protect you, and so do I. We're both fine, but please hurry. Love, Wufei._  
  
The fear exploded within me, my blood roaring in my ears and making me deaf to everything else. I wasn't quite aware of Alex's worried questions or concerned expression, wasn't really aware of anything but the desperate need to get home, to see my lovers, to make sure they really were alright.  
  
I grabbed my jacket, shoving my keys and my phone into the pockets, and ran out of the office. I dodged people, jumped over obstacles, whirled around corners, sprinted down steps, until I finally reached the car park. Because Wufei and Heero were staying home, I'd driven my bike to work, and I quickly pulled on my helmet, swinging a leg over the sleek black-and-silver machine and revving the engine.   
  
The bad thing about living so far away from work was the long journey, but I'd tinkered with my bike a bit, and when you combine that with my Preventer's badge, it meant that speed limits didn't always apply to me, so I quickly sped out of the car park, twisting around the corner.   
  
It's not often that I pray, I don't believe in God and that makes praying a little difficult, but as I sped along the highway, weaving in and out of cars, I spoke to the being I didn't believe in, and I prayed.  
  
Please be alright, please be alright, I'll do anything, just let them be alright. I need them. I love them. Please.


	5. Chapter Five

Notes: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I hope this story is as good as the first one, and don't be afraid to tell me it's not, constructive criticism can only make me get better. Also, I know a couple of people were thinking I was going somewhere with Heero's illness, but I'm afraid I'm not, it's just a little bug and he's gonna get better in this chapter. Enjoy and review!

Chapter Five

Wufei and Heero were curled up on the couch. Heero was wrapped up in Wufei's arms, clutching his gun to his chest and glaring at the wall. Wufei didn't look any happier, but there was a hint of concern in his dark expression.

My heart did this funny little thing where it soared at the sight of them and the knowledge that they were alright, but plummeted at the tense, angry, depressed feel to the air.

"What happened?" I asked, shrugging out of my jacket and letting it fall to the floor. My heart, which had been pounding inside my chest like a trapped bird in a cage, started to calm down, and I took deep, even breaths. They were alright, I didn't have to panic, everything was fine. Okay, everything was obviously not fine, but I was trying not to go Shinigami on my lovers. I have this tendency to overreact, especially where my friends and loved ones are involved, and my earlier fight with Shavers did not help matters.

There was silence for a moment before Wufei spoke, his voice quiet, not quite empty, his hands rubbing circles on Heero's back. "Someone knocked on the door. I went to answer it, but no one was there. The… gift was sitting on the doorstep."

"What gift?"

He gestured to the coffee table and I saw there was a slip of paper resting there. I picked it up, and saw that there were three words typed on it: Do you remember?

"This is it?" I asked sceptically, and Wufei snorted.

"No, the rest is in the kitchen."

I frowned and walked into the kitchen. There was a very expensive vase sitting on the table, glass with a sweeping pattern like waves carved into it. The vase held a beautiful bouquet of full white roses, the stems a dark green and covered with thorns. The petals were dripping with a thick, red liquid, staining the table. I didn't need to smell it or taste it to know that it was blood. I glanced down and saw that there was a trail of small red droplets on the floor, meaning that the roses had to have been covered with blood. How nice.

I sighed, reaching out to touch one of the soft petals, coming away with my fingertips stained crimson. I stared at my bloody fingers for a long time, not really thinking anything, just… looking.

I felt someone behind me, and a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, a warm, muscled body pressing against my back. It was Heero, I could tell that just by the feel of him, and I turned my head to look at him. He was staring at the roses with sad, hurt eyes.

Heero's never liked the 'presents' we sometimes get, it just reinforces all the negative things he tends to think about himself. Out of all of us, he has the bloodiest past, the highest body count, the scariest nightmares, and these little gifts make it so that he can never forget all that. Despite what these sick, sad people believe, Heero isn't proud of his history. He hates his past, he has an inferiority complex the size of Texas, and he will always believe that his life is worthless because of his sins, and nothing Wufei and I can say or do will ever change that, no matter how much we might wish to.

"Sorry for pulling you away from work," he mumbled quietly, jerking me out of my thoughts. "I just want you here with me." He didn't mention how the gift had made him feel, didn't mention the gift at all, he'd neatly side-stepped the issue completely. I decided that if he didn't want to talk about it, neither would I.

"It's okay, I don't mind." If I couldn't talk about the gift, I decided to focus on his health. I reached up to feel his forehead, and was pleased to note that his temperature had dropped slightly, plus he showed no signs of nausea.

"I haven't thrown up in an hour," he said with a wry little smile. "I don't think I could handle food yet, but I think I'm getting better."

"Good, I don't like it when you get sick."

"That makes two of us. I'll probably be going back to work tomorrow."

"Not unless you take it easy today, and your temperature drops to something more normal."

"You sound like Wufei."

"Well, he's right." I was silent for a moment, wondering if I should ask the question looming in my mind. It would probably upset Heero, anything about his past was a touchy subject, but after a moment I realised that I couldn't not ask.

"Heero? What does this person want you to remember?"

His arms tightened around me, and he looked away from the red-stained roses. He didn't answer for a long time, so long that I thought he would never answer, but eventually, he did speak.

"I don't know, Duo. I wish I did. But there's just so much blood and death in my past that I can't figure out which person hates me this time. It could be any one of hundreds, thousands."

"We all have blood on our hands, Heero," I said quietly. "Don't beat yourself up over this. It's just some sick, demented person trying to hurt you for something you had no choice over. Forget about it."

He sighed and stepped back away from me. "I can't," he whispered, before walking out.

I echoed his heavy sigh and leaned against the counter, the bloody petals of the roses filling my eyes until I saw nothing else.

Over the years, we've learned to be tolerant of these little gifts. We just throw them away and forget about them, as much as we are able. It would be petty and pointless to actually try to find and prosecute the people responsible. But enough was enough. Tomorrow morning, I was going to see Commander Une and report this. I wanted to find this bastard and throw him into jail. And when he got out, I wanted to kill him. No one hurts my lovers, either of them, in any way, shape or form.


	6. Chapter Six

Notes: Thanks to a review I got, I realised that I really needed to put a SQUICK WARNING on this fic. This fic will contain much creepiness, blood, angst, and general darkness. Please, if you do not like that kind of stuff, do not read any further. That said, anyone who does enjoy that stuff, read on.

Chapter Six

None of us had wanted to touch the roses any more than we had to, but we all agreed that the techies at forensics would need to see them if they were to catch the bastards, so I ended up holding them in the car while Wufei drove.

Heero's temperature had dropped a few degrees, and he'd progressed to oatmeal with his dried toast, but neither Fei nor I wanted him at work. After much arguing, we agreed that Heero would stay at home and rest, but Wufei would return to work.

The blood had dried overnight, so the car wasn't filled with the sweet coppery scent of it, but I still didn't like to look at the roses. I tried not to, but it's hard when they were right in my face.

We got a couple of odd looks along the way, but we managed to reach Une's office without anyone asking questions. Having a reputation does help occasionally. Une looked up when we entered, and raised an eyebrow as I plunked the roses on her desk.

"I trust there's an explanation for this?" she asked coolly, and I showed her the note, which I'd put in a little plastic baggie. She looked at it, and frowned.

"These appeared on our doorstep yesterday," I explained flatly. "We want to find out who did it and put them in jail."

"Maxwell, while this is upsetting, this is not the first time someone has left things like this. I'm sure that given time, they will-"

"I don't give a shit about that! I want this bastard to rot in hell!"

She blinked at my outburst, and then sighed. "Very well. I'll have someone give the note to Agent Kent, see if he can get a fingerprint, and give the roses to forensics. I assume this was why you ran out of here yesterday?"

"Oh… yeah. Sorry."

She brushed it aside with a wave of her hand and we took that as a dismissal. We were at the door when she spoke again. "Oh and, Maxwell? Agent Shavers leaves for L2 tonight."

Wufei shoot me a questioning look and I blushed as I hurried out of the office. I'd kinda forgotten about that little incident, and so had also forgotten to tell Heero and Wufei about it. They are just as touchy about secrets as I am, and I knew they'd not like the fact that I'd kept it from them, even unintentionally.

"I've still got that case to work on, so I'll see you at lunch," I mumbled, not looking at 'Fei. I turned towards the elevator, but he grabbed my wrist and forced my to turn back to face him.

"What happened, Duo?"

I sighed and looked at my shoes. "Shavers was being a dickhead and kept making all these comments, and I was really not in the mood to deal with him what with Heero being sick and all and he really needed to be brought down a peg or seven, so I kinda… went Shinigami on him."

Wufei sighed and let go of my wrist. "Oh, Duo…"

"He was being an asshole!" I said defensively. "Besides, I didn't kill him, that's something isn't it?"

"We are not supposed to beat up other Agents, Duo. You know how long it took for everyone to get off our backs, how long it took for people to accept us. They do not like reminders that we are better than them, and younger as well. If they keep getting reminded that we were Gundam pilots, we will not be able to stay. Do you want to get sacked?"

"Of course I don't! But… he deserved it. Besides," I added, looking up to half-glare at him. "Would you have just walked away?"

He didn't answer, but he didn't have to, I could see the answer in his eyes. He would have done exactly what I did, and we both knew it. Our relationship, formed in such a risky situation, with me half-insane and Wufei and Heero not knowing just how they felt about each other, was as solid as rock now, and we would all defend it from any attackers. We had lost so much in our lives, sacrificed everything, and we were tired of it. We would keep this one thing, we would hold onto it and fight for it.

Wufei smiled and brushed my cheek with his fingertips. "You were miles away," he murmured, and I blushed.

"Thinking," I murmured, my breath hitching as he ran his thumb across my lips. He leaned forward to kiss me softly, his fingers trailing down my throat until they met my collar.

I broke away and took a step back, forcing myself to behave. We were at work, we did not get intimate at work. I kept repeating it to myself like a mantra, and after a moment I felt confident enough that I could speak and not get sappy.

"We both have work to do," I said. "So let's go do it. I'll see you at lunch."

He sighed and nodded, turning towards the stairs. I'd half-hoped that he'd take the elevator with me, our offices were just two doors apart, but understood why he hadn't.

There was a package waiting for me on my desk, and I froze in the doorway. I realised distantly that it was safe, otherwise Security wouldn't have let it come into the building, but just because it wasn't a bomb didn't mean I would like what it contained. I thought about calling Fei, but realised it would be cowardly, so I walked forward and ripped it open.

There was a bundle of black cloth inside the brown paper, and I frowned at it, before poking it cautiously. When nothing popped out and I didn't smell anything funky, I gingerly removed the cloth and unfolded it. A piece of paper fluttered to the desk and I picked it up.

_Next time you visit, remember to take all your clothes with you_

I recognised Hilde's rough scrawl and relaxed immediately, now recognising the black cloth as one of my favourite tee shirts that had been missing for a week. I turned it around to look at the faded half-skull on the front, and breathed a small sigh of relief. Ya know, having someone stalking Heero was doing nothing for my paranoia.

I blinked and wondered where I'd come up with that word. Stalking. Did two gifts qualify as stalking? I was kinda hoping it did, we had some very strict laws about stalking nowadays. Still, that Heero had a bona fide stalker was a bit creepy. Sure, some people had sent us some weird shit, sometimes meant as genuine presents and sometimes not, but none of us had ever had a real stalker.

"You know, if you ignore me again I'm gonna start to get a complex," Alex said, and I belatedly realised that she was sitting at her desk watching me.

"Oh, sorry, Alex, I was… um, well, nevermind, just sorry."

"Wanna tell me why you ran out of here like a bat out of hell yesterday?"

"Trouble at home," I muttered, flopping down into my chair.

"Okay."

I frowned, having expected a grilling, but she just shrugged and went back to whatever she was doing on her computer. I sighed and reached across to the vid-phone to dial home. I rubbed my eyes and flicked my bangs out of my eyes as I listened to it ring. I was tired, not physically but mentally. I wanted to go home, and curl up in bed with my lovers, and just not have to think about stalkers and bloody roses for a long, long time.

My frown deepened when Heero failed to pick up after the eighth ring. He always answered the phone before the fifth, unless he was in the shower, and then it was always before the seventh, he was too edgy to let a phone keep on ringing. Where was he?


	7. Chapter Seven

Notes: Things will _finally_ start to get moving in this, and the next chapter, which means that updates should hopefully be a bit quicker.

Dedication: This chapter is for pUnK-RoCk's Sk8ter chic for your wonderful review. I'm glad you liked Saving Shinigami, and I hope you like this one just as much. Though, I think I should warn you that a chapter that doesn't end on a cliffhanger will be pretty rare. Enjoy and review!

Chapter Seven

There was probably a perfectly logical explanation for why Heero wasn't answering the phone. I was probably being a panicky, paranoid idiot. If I raced home, Heero would probably give me that amused, tender look he always gives me when I do something stupid. I knew all this, and yet I couldn't help but run down the hall to Wufei's office.

He was working on his computer, occasionally looking at a thin manila folder on the desk, and he looked up in surprise as I skidded to a stop in the doorway.

"Duo! What's-"

"Heero's not answering the phone!" I blurted.

"What? Duo, I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason-"

"Bullshit! Something's wrong and with the shit that's happened the past couple of days I am not taking any chances!"

"Duo, we can't just leave-"

"Why not?"

"We'd get disciplined, for one, most likely suspended, for two, and Heero would think we're nuts, for three."

"I don't care! I am leaving and they can take my fucking badge if they want, but they won't because I am too good a fighter to be let loose on the world. So I'm going, and you can either stay here and cover for me, or you can come and help me find out what's happened to Heero. Choose."

There was no wrong answer to the question, we both knew that, so I felt no guilt about putting him on the spot. He frowned at me and sighed.

"Go, just try to be back soon."

I grinned and blew him a kiss before running down the corridor to the elevator. Despite my bold words to Fei, I was worried. Une gave me a lot of slack, I was simply too good to be dismissed from the Preventers for a few petty issues, but if I kept running out of work, she was going to have to take action, and I did not want to lose my job.

Still, something in my gut was telling me that Heero needed my help. I had nearly lost him too many times to take the chance that he was fine. Was that paranoid? Probably. Possessive? No, just caring.

By the time I got home, I was convinced that Heero had been attacked by some insane stalker-type person and was lying bleeding and broken on the living room floor with Eddie staring at him. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn't get my damned car to go fast enough, which wasn't helped by the stupid cop that pulled me over for speeding. I think I scared him a little, he looked a trifle green when I was finally done screaming at him.

But I couldn't really bring myself to care as I lunged out of the car and opened the door. The good news was, he wasn't lying bleeding and broken on the living room floor with Eddie staring at him. The bad news was, he wasn't in the house at all.

I searched everywhere, my fear escalating with each second that passed, but all I found was a Post-it stuck to the TV screen that said simply: Gone out.

So, one the one hand, he was alright, and okay enough to leave a two-word note that he knew would piss me off. On the other hand, he had fucking left the house when he was sick and promised us he would stay in bed.

I let out my breath in a huff, and tried to think about where he would go. There weren't that many places to choose from, Heero wasn't what you'd call a social butterfly. When he went out, he usually wanted to be left alone, and feel safe whilst doing it. There was one place he favoured, and had for the past three years.

I smiled and walked out, climbing back into my car and driving into town. If Heero was where I thought he was, then I couldn't stay angry. He only went there to think, or brood, or maybe a mixture of both.

--------------------

Wings was the hottest club in town. It had actually been named after Wing Zero, who had rescued the owner's family during the war. This meant that Heero got the extra-VIP treatment whenever he dropped by. They didn't open for another few hours, but I knew they'd let Heero sit and brood-he was too good a customer to refuse, and they did everything possible to cater to his needs. Most people dream about that, they envision making the staff get them the best drinks for tea and having the security team at their beck and call, but all Heero ever wanted was to sit alone in a corner and drink and watch the crowd, and to just be left alone.

Sure enough, when I stepped into the semi-gloom of the club, I saw Heero sitting in the far corner, nursing a beer. There were seven empty beer bottles littering the table, along with two empty bottles of vodka. He didn't look up as I walked towards him, but I didn't really expect him to. I stopped in front of the table, and just looked at him for a minute. He was scowling at his beer as if it was responsible for all the wrongs in the world, and I noticed that his gun was lying on the table amongst the empty bottles.

I glanced at the bar and found one of the waitresses, I think her name was Lisa, watching us warily. I waved her over and quietly asked for a pot of coffee. Heero didn't make any indications that he had heard, or even noticed my presence, and I was starting to get a little annoyed. I sat down opposite him, and pulled the bottle out of his hands. He let me, only offering token resistance, but still didn't look at me.

"Heero, if you don't look at me, I'm gonna slug you," I said, only half-joking, and it was enough for him to finally raise his eyes. I was shocked at what I saw in them-despair, such a bleak, soul-eating sorrow, tainted with the faintest hint of fear.

"Do you remember three years ago when I disappeared for two days right after we became Preventers?" he asked, and his voice was strangely hoarse. I blinked, not really understanding where the question was heading, but nodded. I did remember that day, he'd just packed a bag, kissed us goodbye, and left, assuring us that he would return. We hadn't understood then, and he never did explain where he went. We respected his silence and didn't ask, but the curiosity ate at me for months.

"I went to this little town a few miles away from here, I don't even remember the name of it. I scrounged around for a bit, and found a large rock in a small patch of trees. I'd brought some tools with me, and spent nearly twenty-four hours carving the thing, forming a flat surface on the front and then etching in some words. 'To Everyone. I am Sorry. Forgive Me.' I went into the town and bought a dozen white roses. I laid them next to the rock and sliced my hand, dripping my blood onto the stone and the flowers. I offered my blood for forgiveness.

"Then I came back, and you noticed the cut on my hand, I know you did, but you never asked. I didn't want to tell you, so I didn't. I didn't tell anyone. But this person knew, Duo. They knew, and they knew that a reminder would hurt me, because I didn't feel forgiven. I wanted so much for them to forgive me, I gave them my blood as payment, but it wasn't enough. They didn't forgive me. And this person _knew_ that."

All I could do was stare at him. I assumed he'd just been tying up some loose ends, maybe meeting with a couple of old contacts from the war or something. I'd never even come within miles of the truth, but how could I have guessed? I knew he'd always felt guilty about the lives he took, especially the innocents that just got caught in the crossfire, but that he would go to such an extent to try and get absolution, forgiveness, was just…

Them my mind caught up with the rest of the confession, and I realised why there was that hint of fear in his eyes. Heero is the ultimate stealth and tracking master, he is always aware of his surroundings, and it is virtually impossible to watch him without knowing. That this person had managed to not only watch him, but study him so much that they knew how much pain it would cause him to be reminded of the day, was… chilling.

I remembered my earlier musings about whether this person qualified as a stalker and decided that yes, they most certainly did. Now we just had to figure out how to deal with them.


	8. Chapter Eight

Notes: Remember, visit my LJ if you have a question/comment about this or any of my other fics, I'm very friendly and will be sure to reply. Also, huge SQUICK WARNING for this chapter. I don't want to give away the details, but if you have a weak stomach, you might not want to read this chapter. Enjoy and review!

Chapter Eight

It took a little pleading/whining, but eventually Heero decided to stop drinking and come home. He was silent during the drive, and for once I didn't feel much like talking. My mind was racing, trying to figure out just who could be doing this to Heero, to us. Heero's confession haunted my mind, my overactive imagination supplying me with an endless stream of images-Heero working on the rock, Heero holding the flowers, Heero cutting his hand, Heero dripping his blood onto the flowers, Heero realising that he wasn't forgiven.

A warm pressure on my free hand jerked me out of my thoughts, and I looked down to see Heero's large hand covering mine. I smiled, and rotated my wrist so that I could hold his hand. We still didn't speak , but the silence wasn't as tense as it had been.

I parked the car in the driveway, and fished my keys out of my pocket, frowning when I failed to locate them amongst the candy wrappers, cinema tickets, and general pieces of crap that I kept in my pockets. My questing fingers eventually located the cool metal of my keys and I grinned triumphantly, raising my eyes. I froze, hand halfway to the lock, staring in shock at the door.

Photos had been stuck to the whole of the door, high-end, glossy photos; surveillance photos. Of us. most Heero, but my and Wufei to. Heero sipping coffee, Heero and Wufei sparring in our gym, all of us in bed, Heero and me watching TV, Heero cooking dinner, Wufei and me watching Heero workout, there was even one of someone in the shower, but the steam made it hard to tell whether it was Heero or Wufei.

There had to be dozens of them, maybe something close to a hundred, I couldn't tell because they often overlapped, and I caught glimpses of photos completely hidden when a breeze made them move slightly. At the very centre of the door, was a small slip of paper, with three simple words typed on it: I am lost.

I swallowed thickly, and finally managed to tear my eyes away from the door to look at Heero. He was still staring at the shock, and his breath was coming in short gasps, as if he was about to hyperventilate. I knew Heero had a thing about privacy and being watched, but the reaction was a bit extreme and I didn't understand it.

Old instincts kicked in, and I drew my gun as I scanned the area intently. The fact that Heero didn't copy me scared me a little, and I moved so that I was shielding him from sight. That is, if whoever this person was wasn't in the house. This is why I liked working with Heero and Wufei-we could cover all corners; by myself, I was always open to attack from at least one side.

"Heero, get in the house and secure it," I said quietly, forcefully, and gave him a little kick in the calf. It was enough to snap him out of his daze, and he drew his own gun, holding it by his side as he unlocked the door. I waited patiently, all my senses open to everything around me, but when five minutes past and I didn't hear an all-clear or alarm, I began to worry that something had happened. I glanced into the house, and caught a glimpse of Heero standing in the living room. I frowned when I saw that he was holding his gun at his side, his fingers barely gripping it.

"Heero, status!" I called, my eyes going back to the trees surrounding us. I hadn't seen anything human-shaped, or heard anything for that matter, but I was not taking any chances. Heero didn't respond, and I cursed, torn between securing the perimeter and finding out what was wrong with him. The logical half of my mind told me that if Heero wasn't answering, the danger was inside. I decided to listen to the voice and stepped into the house, closing but not locking the door behind me.

When I stepped into the living room, I found out why Heero had frozen. I stared in horror at what lay on the carpet, and realised that our problems had just got a hell of a lot worse.

It was a small thing, barely a few weeks old. Its fur had been a sandy shade, soft and short, but now it was matted with drying blood. Its warm brown eyes were staring up at me sightlessly, pleading and accusing. Deep gashes ran along its legs, back and neck, deep enough in places to show glimpses of bone, but that hadn't been what killed it. Its stomach had been torn open, spilling the intestines and inner organs onto the floor in a wash of blood and gore. The stench of death hung thickly in the air, that horrid mixture of bowels and blood. I gagged and covered my mouth with my spare hand, not able to tear my eyes away from the mutilated puppy that lay on the carpet.

I don't know for how long we stood there staring with sick fascination at the macabre gift, it could have been a minute or an hour. Eventually, I was able to drag my eyes away from the grotesque sight and looked at Heero. He'd gone pale, and his hands were starting to shake. Just like with the photos, this reaction was extreme and completely unexpected. I was starting to think that Heero was seeing more in these gifts than I was.

I reached out to touch his arm, and he jerked his head around to look at me. His eyes were wild, with no hint of calm or even sanity. I immediately let go of his arm and took a step back. I tightened my grip on my gun, but knew that I'd never be able to raise it, aim, and shoot, before he either dodged, or shot me first. The fact that Heero was my lover and one of the two people closest to my heart was irrelevant, he was a faster, better shot than me, and if I didn't remember that, then I was most likely dead.

Heero blinked, and I watched as he seemed to remember who I was and who he was. Sanity seeped back into his eyes, quickly followed by something that looked an awful lot like despair. He let his gun slip from his fingers to fall to the floor, and then ran out of the room. I heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs and then go into the bedroom, but knew not to follow.

Instead, I took a deep breath, instantly regretting it when the smell of rotting flesh stuck in the back of my throat and nearly made me vomit. I holstered my gun and walked calmly out to the kitchen, closing the door on the living room. I walked over to the vidphone on the wall and speed-dialled Une's office. She picked up on the second ring, only quickly glancing at the screen before looking back at something she was reading.

"What is it, Maxwell?"

"I need a forensics team with full equipment to come to my house ASAP."

"What?" She finally gave me her full attention, and her eyes widened slightly. I wondered what she saw that made her so shocked, but didn't give it much thought, I was too busy getting very, very angry. My patience, which was never that terrific, was quickly evaporating and I did not want to play Twenty Questions with Une.

"I have a dead puppy on my living room carpet, and surveillance photos of me, Heero and Fei covering the front door. You may have been reluctant to prosecute when all we had were bloody roses, but you cannot ignore this, and if you do, I will hand in my resignation and go back to being a fucking terrorist."

I hung up rather forcefully, and sat heavily in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. My mind was in a small state of shock, it refused to believe that this was actually happening. Feathers, notes, roses, I could handle that, but dead puppies… not just dead, mutilated, ravaged, tortured. Whoever this was had just stepped into a whole new category of sick.


End file.
